Gaming devices which provide players awards in primary or base games are well known. Gaming devices generally require the player to place or make a wager to activate the primary or base game. In many of these gaming devices, the award is based on the player obtaining a winning symbol or symbol combination and on the amount of the wager (e.g., the higher the wager, the higher the award). Symbols or symbol combinations which are less likely to occur usually provide higher awards.
In such known gaming devices, the amount of the wager made on the base game by the player may vary. For instance, the gaming device may enable the player to wager a minimum number of credits, such as one credit (e.g., one penny, nickel, dime, quarter or dollar) up to a maximum number of credits, such as five credits. This wager may be made by the player a single time or multiple times in a single play of the primary game. For instance, a slot game may have one or more paylines and the slot game may enable the player to make a wager on each payline in a single play of the primary game. Thus, it is known that a gaming device, such as a slot game; may enable players to make wagers of substantially different amounts on each play of the primary or base game ranging, for example, from 1 credit up to 125 credits (e.g., 5 credits on each of 25 separate paylines). Accordingly, it should be appreciated that different players play at substantially different wagering amounts or levels and at substantially different rates of play.
Secondary or bonus games are also known in gaming devices. The secondary or bonus games usually provide an additional award to the player. Secondary or bonus games usually do not require an additional wager by the player to be activated. Secondary or bonus games are generally activated or hit upon an occurrence of a designated triggering symbol or triggering symbol combination in the primary or base game. For instance, a bonus symbol occurring on the payline on the third reel of a three reel slot machine may hit the secondary bonus game. Part of the enjoyment and excitement of playing certain gaming devices is the occurrence or triggering of the secondary or bonus game (even before the player knows how much the bonus award will be).
Progressive awards associated with gaming devices are also known. In one form, a progressive award is an award amount which includes an initial amount funded by a casino and an additional amount funded through a portion of each wager made on the progressive gaming device. For example, 0.1% of each wager placed on the primary game of the gaming device associated with the progressive award may be allocated to the progressive award or progressive award fund or pool. The progressive award grows in value as more players play the gaming devices and more portions of these players' wagers are allocated to the progressive award. When a player obtains a winning symbol or symbol combination associated with the progressive award, the accumulated progressive award is provided to the player. After the progressive award is provided to the player, the amount of the next progressive award is reset to the initial value and a portion of each subsequent wager on a gaming device associated with a progressive award is allocated to the next progressive award.
A progressive award may be associated with or otherwise dedicated to a single or stand-alone gaming device. Alternatively, a progressive award may be associated with or otherwise dedicated to multiple gaming devices which each contribute a portion of wagers placed at such gaming device(s) to the progressive award. The multiple gaming devices may be in the same bank of gaming devices, in the same casino or gaming establishment (usually through a local area network (“LAN”)) or in two or more different casinos or gaming establishments (usually through a wide area network (“WAN”)). Such progressive awards are played for by one or more gaming devices in the same gaming establishment sometimes called local area progressives (′LAP″) and such progressive awards played for by a plurality of gaming devices at a plurality of different gaming establishments are sometimes called wide area progressives (“WAP”).
Moreover, a gaming device or bank of gaming devices may be simultaneously associated with a plurality of progressive awards. In these multi-level progressive (“MLP”) configurations, a plurality of progressive awards start at different award or value levels, such as $10, $100, $1000 and $10,000 and each individually increment or increase until provided to a player. Upon a suitable triggering event at one of more of the gaming devices associated with the MLP, one or more of the progressive awards which form the MLP are provided to one or more of the players at such gaming devices.
While such progressives are popular amongst players, a number of potential problems exist with these known progressive award systems. First, typically only one player wins the progressive award. This may discourage the other players who have also been playing for a long period of time because these players may feel that another progressive award will not hit for a long period of time. Such discouragement can lead to players walking away with jackpot fatigue. Jackpot fatigue can occur when a player no longer finds an award desirable or worth the cost of continuing to play. This desire to quit playing is also due to the fact that a player may feel they must wait a substantial period of time for the jackpot to climb back to a high value. That is, when a progressive award is provided at a different gaming device, a player may feel deflated and not wish to continue playing for a base or reset level progressive award.
In recent years, gaming has become a more social leisure activity. Gaming establishments are now striving for ways to enable players to work together in gaming. Working together creates camaraderie among the players and provides an enhanced gaming experience. Certain secondary or bonus games include a group gaming aspect wherein a plurality of players participate in a group bonus game for one or more bonus awards. There is a continuing need to provide new bonus games which include a group gaming aspect, wherein a plurality of players playing at linked gaming devices participate in a group bonus game for one or more bonus awards.
There is also a continuing need to provide new and different gaming devices and gaming systems as well as new and different ways to provide awards to players including bonus awards.